


Prey and Predator

by DarkestofDusks



Category: Battle Royale, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Crossover, F/F, F/M, Original Character Death(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-14 14:15:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16494182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkestofDusks/pseuds/DarkestofDusks
Summary: In this world, you're either the hunter or the hunted. Twenty high school students are pitched in a deadly survival game, where only one student can walk out alive.A Danganronpa V3 and Battle Royale crossover (including some OCs).





	1. The Participants

**Author's Note:**

> My first ever Danganronpa fic, and my first fic posted on Ao3! To those reading, thank you for giving this little mess a try! I was inspired by [Battlestuck](https://archiveofourown.org/works/419286/chapters/698239) to try my hand at Battle Royale x DRV3. Updates will be varied (depends on my schedule), but I'll try my best to update as much as I can. 
> 
> Comments and feedback are very much appreciated! :D
> 
> Be warned, violence and a lot of gore will follow. And yes, your favorites _will_ die. ( _Mwahahaha._ )
> 
> And mini note, Suzume, Ryota, Yuko, and Kenji are OCs! Suzume and Ryota belong to me, while Yuko and Kenji belong to a good RL friend of mine.

Your name is Kaede Akamatsu, and you don’t know why, but an uneasy feeling has sunk into your stomach.

Your eyes silently go to the window of the bus, which is taking you to somewhere unknown. You don’t know where this bus is taking you and your class, and it certainly doesn’t seem like the bus driver is going to tell you.

You wish you could do some investigating on the whole thing, but there’s not much you can do. Especially since you’re on a bus and there’s practically nothing you can do. All around you, your classmates are sitting, some of them looking just as perplexed as you are while the rest are their usual selves.

Sitting beside you is possibly your closest friend out of the whole class, Shuichi Saihara. Like you, he seems just as confused and wanting to know more, but at the same time, he knows that there’s not much he can do. Underneath his black cap, you can tell he’s nervous. Shuichi was usually considered to be the wallflower of the class, serious, yet unsure of himself at times. But you’ve been helping him try and gain some confidence. This has led to the two of you growing quite close, with your other classmates taking notice.

Another classmate of yours, Suzume Nakajima, has teased the two of you sometimes when it came to how close you were. She calls you and Shuichi “the cutest pair of lovebirds”, to your dismay at times. Every time, you would deny it, and Suzume would always say that “just kidding!”, with a huge grin on her face. Suzume was among the most outgoing and cheerful in the class, traits you quite like about her. 

Now that you think about it, you start to glance past Shuichi, to the rest of your classmates. The bus is putting it mildly, a loudhouse. In a seat, three girls, Tenko Chabashira, Angie Yonaga, and Himiko Yumeno are sitting together. You can’t hear it much, but you can slightly hear Angie talk aobut her supposed god “Atua”, while Tenko rants at her in disbelief, and Himiko nodding off a bit beside Tekno. Behind the girls, two males, Korekiyo Shinguji and Rantaro Amami are paired, neither of them paying much attention to the other. Past them is Maki Harukawa, and next to her is Kaito Momota, a smile on his face while Maki simply peers out the window. She looks deep in thought, something you wonder about, what she’s thinking about.

“Heeeeey, so where do you guys think we’re going?,” a high pitched voice echoes behind you. Kokichi Oma. It was pretty well known among the class that Kokichi was not well liked by well...anyone. Only a select few seemed to tolerate him, such as the class muscle, Gonta Gokuhara. Despite what his muscular physique suggested, he was really a gentle giant, unless provoked. 

“Like anyone fucking knows,” a cold voice answers, Yuko Matsui. Yuko was someone who almost always kept to herself and almost always refused to associate herself with anyone in the class. Instead, she almost always kept a pet snake around her neck, treating it better than she does even herself.

But it wasn’t always that Yuko kept to herself, as she sometimes liked to provoke Suzume, the most recent provocation ending in quite a rowdy catfight. You still wonder just how Gonta and Kaito managed to break those two up.

“Maybe it a camping trip?,” Gonta asks inquisitively. 

“I don’t think so,” Kaito answers. "It looks like we don't have any camping equipment. But if that's not it, I wonder..." His voice slowly trails off as he starts to ponder.

"D-Do you think it's some kind of survivalist training?," a white-haired boy stammers slightly, Kenji Makishima. "Maybe that's why we don't have anything?" It was rare for him to speak up, since like Shuichi, he's a bit on the timid side. 

"It's very possible, if you put it that way," another boy answers, Ryota Hideyoshi. He's quite the prankster among the class, and you've lost count as to how many people he's pranked. "If we do land into trouble, you'll be quite the noble sacrifice, Kenji."

Instantly, Kenji's red eyes widen with shock. "W-What?! What are you talking about?!"

Ryota immediately bursts out into a playful laugh, only joined in by Kokichi. Next to Kaito, Maki doesn't hesitate to shoot a death glare at both boys. "Knock it off."

Your gaze then goes to the window beside you, and then to Shuichi, who's eyes are glued to the ground. 

"Hey, are you alright?," you ask. 

"I-I don't know," Shuichi answers. "Something about all this feels...off."

You gently place a hand on Shuichi's. "Whatever it is, it'll be okay." You can feel yourself trying to push back your uneasiness in order to try and ease Shuichi's. You can only imagine how he must be feeling. If you're worried, he must be even more so, and so, you'll hopefully try and ease his worries. Feeling your hand over his, his face turns a faint shade of pink. 

_*click*_

You blink as something clicks. Something below your seats. 

You look down, and a gas has started to spew out from your seat. Not just your seat, but everyone's seats is spewing a thick, pale white gas. 

Shuichi jumps to his feet in surprise, and you quickly follow. Ahead of you, you hear a snapping sound - the bus driver is putting a breathing mask on. This gas, whatever it is, it's intended for your entire class.

It's a mad dash as everyone scrambles to make way to the front of the bus. You can feel yourself get pushed around, shoved around, and you swear you hear what sounds like banging. Amidst the panic, you spot Suzume and Maki on opposite sides, with Suzume kicking at the window and Maki elbowing hers. But neither seem to budge, and not even a scratch is left from their attacks.

And without warning, a sudden drowsiness takes ahold of you. 

Everything in sight has started to mix into a blur of color as your eyes start to shut, like curtains after a show has ended. You open your mouth in a heavy yawn, as you try and walk a step, before collapsing atop another student. The last thing you see before darkness is the bus driver looking at you, Shuichi, and everyone, eyes wide with growing curiosity. 

\- - - - - - - - 

_"Are they all ready?,"_ a voice asks through the radio to you, the bus driver. 

You look at the collapsed pile of students before you, slightly veiled by the gas. Your hands grip both the steering wheel as you suddenly veer to the left. 

"They're all ready to go." Though it takes a while, you can feel your mouth stretch into a slight grin. 

"This is going to be one hell of a bloodbath, isn't it?," you ask, and the voice in the radio laughs cheerfully. 

_"Yup! Things are going to get exciting! And I can't wait!"_

\- - - - - - - 

(Chapter 1: END)


	2. Play or Die

Your name is Shuichi Saihara, and something feels tight around your neck.

A low groan escapes from your throat as you open your eyes, everything in sight blurry at first. After a bit, you quickly find yourself in a classroom, surrounded by your classmates similarly waking up while others are still unconscious. At the same time, a choking feeling hits your throat, as if someone has wrapped a rope around your neck and is refusing to let go.

You glance around, and you’re sitting in the middle, to the left to be more specific. To your left is Korekiyo “Kiyo” Shinguji while to your right is Angie Yonaga. You haven’t spoken much to either, since Kiyo was a bit mysterious while Angie was just strange at times.

But you glance behind you, and a face you can confide in is sitting behind you.

“Kaito,” you whisper. “Where are we? Do you know what’s happening?”

Kaito simply gives you a dumbfounded look. “I don't know. But why are you quieter than usual?”

“I-I don’t know…,” you answer, a slight chill going down your spine. You can’t describe the chill, as if something ominous is coming. “Are you alright?”

“I’m alright. But are you okay? What about Kaede and Maki Roll?”

You only nod at his question, and slowly, your eyes start to glance about the room. Sure enough, you spot the girls in question (Kaede at the farthest left of the room and Maki a bit closer to the front, to the right). Kaede has just started to wake up with a groan, while Maki simply answers “I’m fine.”

“This doesn’t make any fucking sense,” says an annoyed voice to Kaito's right, Miu. “I’m just fine, but is this part of the trip? Where the hell are we?!”

“I don’t think this is part of the trip,” Maki says, her face now possessing a pondering expression. “We were on the bus, and then something spewed from under our seats, and then-”

All at once, her eyes go small, while the color in her face drains away slightly. Seeing her this shocked was something rare, especially since Maki was among the non-emotive students in the class. So if she was able to become this shocked in a matter of seconds is nothing short of worrying to you.

“Wait a second,” she mutters. “It can’t be…”

Before she can continue, a click goes off at the door, and it swings open.

A man enters, his short hair a mix of black and white and something you’ve never seen before. The same could be said for his eyes, with one being black and the other a deep crimson. There’s no way those can be natural, you think to yourself. His suit is a dark gray, almost black, with a white dress shirt underneath and a red tie, complimenting his eyes and hair. 

Behind him, a pair of armoured soldiers follow, hands gripping large assault rifles in their hands and a jagged red logo on the chests. Though their heads and faces are concealed by masks and helmets, you barely see short black hair peeking out from under one of the soldiers. You can’t tell for sure, but for now, you’re assuming that they’re a female soldier, underneath all of that armor. 

“Hello, students!,” the black-and-white haired man greets in almost a chirp. “I’m Mr. Monokuma, and I’ll be your teacher on this beauuutiful day!”

For a second, he’s silent, as if he’s waiting for a response. In response, he humphs.

“Aw, this won’t do at all! I’ve invited you all for a game, and this is the response I get?! That’s not very nice, giving your teacher the cold shoulder!”

Finally, Kenji speaks up. “A game? W-What are you talking about?!”

Monokuma's eyes widen at Kenji’s reaction. “Finally, someone’s talking! Might as well fill you all in, since I'm guessing you're all so anxious to find out where you are and what's going on.”

Monokuma takes in a breath before his grin twists into a smile of pure, twisted amusement.

“You all know Project V3, riiiiiiight? Also known as the Game of Hope?”

You recognize the name. Maki knows it too, she’s told you about it once or twice before. But some of the students aren’t so familiar, as several students have broken out in near-silent murmurs. 

“Well, it’s super simple. When I give the word, all of you students will leave this building. And each and every one of you will kill each other until there is only one student left standing.”

\- - - - - - - - -

_“W-What?!”_

Your name is Kaede Akamatsu, and you can’t believe what you’re hearing.

You have to kill your classmates?! 

Before you realize it, you’re standing up, hands slammed against your desk in disbelief. You can’t believe this is true, this can’t be happening.

Monokuma turns at you, and you swear that you saw his red eye glint. “Miss Akamatsu, it’s not very nice to interrupt your teacher! Please sit down, or I’ll be forced to discipline you.” One of his hands reaches for the other, and he pulls down his coat sleeve, only to reveal a set of spiked brass knuckles clenched in his fingers. Dark red colors the tips of the spikes, something that sends your heart to the bottom of your stomach. And clearly, you’re not the only one who’s nervous, as you hear an audible gulp to your right, from a very nervous-looking Suzume. 

As much as you don’t want to, you slowly sink back into your seat, to which Monokuma grins widely at.

“Much better! Now, once you leave this building, you’ll each be given a bag. Each contains a map of the island, a flashlight, supplies, and a random weapon. My only words to those with crappy weapons is… you better avoid anyone and everyone here that have a gun!” Monokuma breaks out into a cackle before he turns to the door, to which everyone follows suit.

“Ohhhh, Monomi?,” he calls out in a sing-song tone.

Without any warning, a soldier bursts through the door, hand on the front of a moving cart, along with what looks like a female student on the other. Her pink and white hair, though tied in loose ponytails, are disheveled and the ends stained a darkened red. One eye is winced tightly, tears spilling down her cheeks while the other is plastered with blood. Though you can’t tell for sure, it looks like...her bloody eye is sewn shut?!

Gradually, the cart comes to a stop in front of the classroom, to which Monokuma peers over it curiously. Something is clearly on the cart, concealed by a sheet. 

And without hesitating, Monokuma yanks the sheet out with a dramatic whip of his arm, and what lies underneath causes almost everyone to scream.

A blood-soaked corpse.

You scream in horror as you nearly fall out of your desk, but somehow, you manage to teeter on the edge of your seat. In the back of your throat, you feel bile rising, and somehow, you managed to swallow it.

You don’t want to have to look at the student. You can only imagine what they had went through when they had to play this massacre game. 

But given how upfront and prominent it is, you doubt you have much choice.

The student, from where you’re looking, is a female, with silver-grey hair tied in rather intricate pigtails. Her red eyes, one is wide open, while the other is closed, a mix between alive and dead. But the part you recognize most, are countless stab wounds running rampant throughout her body, the student’s blood practically soaking her uniform red. You instantly wince, not bearing to look at her any longer.

“Everyone calm down! Calm down!,” Monokuma calls out, before glancing to the corpse in front of him. 

“This was a student in last year’s game. She was a dark horse, a fan favorite for sure! Unfortunately, she died when she wanted to protect the person that mattered most to her! But even her death was pointless, since he died not long after she did!” Monokuma breaks out into a sadistic laugh, something you cover your ears to, in a desperate attempt to drown it out.

“And one more thing, students…” With his voice trailing off, Monokuma picks through his pockets, only to place a metal collar on the table, a faint red light flickering on and off. 

“Each of you are equipped with a collar on your necks, something we like to consider “tracking.” The second you step out of this building, you can’t come back inside! No,no no! We’ll instantly mark this building a “no-man’s-land”, better known as a no-go zone. Every six hours, I’ll announce the “blackened” and mark a new area of the island as a no-man’s-land. And any and all students still in the area will have their collar go boom!”

From his second coat pocket, he pulls out what looks like a remote, and after pushing several buttons, he takes a step back.

And the collar on the desk explodes.

Some of the students simply watch, others wince, and some brace themselves. The explosion wasn’t particularly large, but just by looking, you can tell it’s a strong one. Almost instinctively, you reach for the collar around your neck, and you gulp at the thought of your collar doing the exact same thing. 

“A warning, students!,” Monokuma calls out in almost a cheer. “We can detonate these collars at anytime, so I wouldn’t try taking them off! Not that you can, anyways. These collars are totally waterproof, shockproof, and fireproof! Any kind of tampering or dismantling will lead to your neck getting blown off. And for any of you that have thoughts on escaping, don’t do it! It’s pretty much impossible with how remote this island is! And one more rule…” He turns to one of the soldiers, the one with short, raven hair. 

“Mukuro?”

Slowly, Mukuro reaches for her belt, and pulls out a another remote, this one with a large black and red button, the black half with a demented grin drawn on. Silently, she hands the remote over to Monokuma, to which he shows off to you and everyone else.

“Do you see this button, students?,” he asks gleefully. “This is the most important rule, so listen carefully! If no one is killed within a full twenty-four hours, I’ll to push this button, and each and everyone’s collars will go ka-boom! I’ve already used it so many times in the past, and each time was a blast!” He glances to everyone, still grinning like a sadistic psychopath.

“I trust that you’ll be entertaining enough so I don’t have to press it?”

Those words send an icy chill down your back. His voice is like claws raking against your spine, and no matter how many times you tell it to stop or go away, they keep tearing away at your skin. 

“Now that I’ve covered everything...I think...does anyone have any questions?”

Nothing answers him for a minute or two. But slowly, one student raises a hand, Kirumi Tojo.

“I have a question.”

Monokuma places a hand on the back of his hand. “Yes, Miss Tojo?”

“What exactly is your motive in doing this?,” Kirumi asks, her tone surprisingly calm but her expression somewhat stern. “How can you justify sending us to our deaths like this?”

“My motive, you say?,” Monokuma asks. “I’m not exactly a fan of the look on your face, but that’s a very good question!”

He pauses, only to grin again.

“You all know the concept of guilty and innocent, correct? That some of you are guilty and most of you are innocent? Well, guess what! I’m a firm believer in the saying that no one is innocent, only guilty! And this class has caused quite a bit of trouble in the past year, so this is your comeuppance!”

\- - - - - - - - - -

Your name is Kaito Momota, this can’t possibly be real.

You and everyone else are being pitched into this slaughter-game all because of getting into some trouble?!

You’re not going to lie, your class has been kinda unruly these past few weeks. To name a few things, you and Kokichi, have gotten close to a full-on brawl, Yuko and Suzume have actually gotten into a physical fight (with it ending with Yuko having a somewhat broken nose and Suzume with bruises running all across her face and eyes, Gonta and you somehow managed to break them up) and other things you can’t seem to remember right now, but that aside, that’s all that happened to your class. 

But for doing all of that...you and your classmates are getting sentenced to death. Despite Monokuma’s answer, you find it incredibly hard to believe. A newfound wave of heat enters your body as you stand up, your face contorted with anger.

“Quit screwing around! This can’t possibly be true, any of it!”

Monokuma turns to you, his crooked grin and gaze now aimed at you. “Well, you better believe it! This is now a game! A game of thrills and kills, and only one of you will walk out of here alive!!” He lets out another uproarious, yet sadistic laugh, but barely, you can hear Kokichi’s voice above it.

“Wow, a game! This sounds like a ton of fun!” His tone is sickeningly cheerful, and when you turn around, his purple eyes are wide with excitement. That fucking pain in the ass. It was pretty common knowledge that you and Kokichi didn’t get along, not in the slightest bit.

“Shut the fuck up! Why the hell are you excited about this?!,” you bark to the much shorter boy, to which he smirks back. 

“Why so angry, Kaito? This is a game, and we all have to play it.”

Your eyes flare wide in increased anger. “Like hell I’m playing in this!! Monokuma’s going to have to kill me before that happens!!”

“How about I kill you that you don’t have a choice?,” Kokichi chuckles.

“Guys, stop it!,” you hear Kaede shout. “Fighting isn’t going to solve anything!”

"Kaito, knock it off!," Suzume says to your left, standing up, you notice. "He's not worth it!"

That's enough to silence you. Both Kaede and Suzume are right, fighting with Kokichi of all people isn't worth it. You mutter a curse under your breath as you start to slink back into your seat, but Monokuma's voice cuts through the air.

"Mr. Momota?"

Hearing his voice, your head whips around, and Monokuma. His head is lowered slightly, his eyes somewhat shadowed by his two-toned hair and his hands behind his back. His once cheerful grin has been replaced by a frown of annoyance. "This is why this class is playing this game! Fighting is strictly forbidden before the game starts, that's not fair at all! So..."

His voice fades as one arm pulls something out from behind his back and throws it right at you. Amidst the spinning, you see the glint of steel. For a moment, everything seems to be going in slow motion, as the knife flies right at you, aimed right for the forehead.

But a yell cries out, and right before the knife hits home, something shoves you down, everything in sight going black. When you open your eyes again, you're on the ground, you chair knocked over and another one at your feet. 

And Suzume's on top of you. 

\- - - - - - -

Your name is Kaede Akamatsu, and that was too close a call.

The second you saw the knife fly across the room at Kaito, you wanted to run over, scream at him to look out. Push him out of the way if you could. 

But thankfully, Suzume had the same idea as you - she managed to push Kaito out of the way just in time. Just past them, the knife has embedded itself into the wall. You watch in relief as you see Suzume push herself up off Kaito, only to wince in pain. 

When you take a closer look, a clean cut slashes across her shoulder, tearing her shirt sleeve and staining the white fabric a dark crimson. Just looking at it makes you gulp slightly. But ahead, Monokuma huffs.

"Aww! Had to play the hero, Miss Nakajima? That's no fair!" You see Suzume's eyes shrink at his words, and you feel your fear returning in your stomach. If he almost killed Kaito, was he going to kill Suzume too?!

But slowly, Monokuma's smile returns. "Buuuuut...I'll let this one slide. Since it's time for this game to start!" 

The words sink in slowly, like a festering poison. _Time for the game to start._

"Girl Number One, you can go now!," Monokuma calls out before going to the door and opening it.

For a moment, no one dares make a move. But eventually, you hear a chair scraping, and Miu Iruma is on her feet. Miu was a bit...unstable (and you're putting it a bit mildly). Her strides straightforward, she grabs her bag with one hand and walks out the door, not looking back at all.

Once again the silence fills the air. But Monokuma calls out Boy Number One, Keebo Idabashi. His posture hunched just a tad. You can tell, the pressure of this life and death game is just starting to get to him.

But how it can not affect anyone in class, having being pitched in this slaughter game?

Monokuma calls out Girl Two and Boy Two, and Korekiyo and Himiko leave respectively. Kiyo, you don't really see any kind of reaction from him, and Himiko looks to be trying to hide her shaking, to little avail.

Then it's Girl and Boy Three. Angie goes out, looking quite cheerful and Boy 3 - whoever he is, he isn't standing up. 

"Boy Number 3?"

Finally, he stands up - Shuichi Saihara. His teeth are clenched as his face is shadowed by his hat, and you don't even have to look to know he's terrified.

You reach out an arm as he walks to the door, only to quickly withdraw. You wish that you could go with him, tell him that in the end, everything would turn out okay. 

But you know deep down, that you're lying. For one, you can't go, you haven't been called yet. And if even if you tried, you'd just end up with a knife to the head. 

And second, this is the farthest from okay. 

Finally, Monokuma calls Girl and Boy Four. Kaito Momota and you.

The walk to the door is possibly the most anxiety-inducing thing you've ever done. Each step closer you walk to the door, it's a step closer to your possible death. You're nervous, but you can't let your fear get the better of you. Fear would only serve to drive you crazy, possibly right to an early grave. 

And you can't have that happen. Not before you see Shuichi again.

After forever, you reach the door, where Mukuro hands you your bag, which is light, to your surprise. You almost have to remind yourself to breath as you take a step out the hallway. You spot a shadow walking down a hall to the left, and and you follow it, before you spot a door at the very end. 

When you reach the door, you pause. But after a second, you push it open before walking outside, and Monokuma's sadistic voice returns in your head.

_Time for the game to start._

\- - - - - - 

(Chapter 2: END)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Chapter 2 is here! Just in time for the royale to start... :3
> 
> Who you do think will die next chapter? Post your guesses in the comments below!
> 
> Like before, feedback and comments are appreciated! :D


	3. First Blood

\- - - - - - - -

**\- Alive (Girls): Kaede, Suzume, Yuko, Maki, Tenko, Kirumi, Tsumugi, Himiko, Miu, Angie  
\- Alive (Boys): Shuichi, Gonta, Kokichi, Korekiyo, Ryota, Kaito, Keebo, Rantaro, Ryoma, Kenji**

**\- Deceased (Girls): None  
\- Deceased (Boys): None**

\- - - - - - - 

Your name is Shuichi Saihara, and it's begun. 

The game of life and death. A game of thrills and kills, as Monokuma explained so cheerfully. That everyone but one person was going to be nothing but lifeless corpses, blood stains against the grass. And the lone survivor that somehow survives walks out like nothing happened.

Just the thought of you being a bloody, dead heap makes you gulp as you run through the trees to nowhere in particular. You keep telling yourself that none of this is real, that if you pinch yourself hard enough, you'll wake up and it'll be a normal day. But no matter how many times you pinch yourself, you're not waking up from this living nightmare. 

Gradually, your feet start to slow down in their steps, until you come to a stop entirely beside a large oak. If you're going to try and survive (which you imagine is not for a very long time), you have to think. For starters, you recall that Monokuma said that each duffel bag contained a weapon. From your shoulder, you set your bag down in front of you and open it, and a large piece of paper greets you, along with other things. You root through the contents, pulling out the large paper - the map of the island, a flashlight, and a gun magazine. You empty your bag almost entirely until you pull out your weapon - a gun.

You find your entire body frozen as you stare at the gun. It's a Glock, small yet efficient at killing if push came to shove. Instantly, your mind goes to back to Monokuma's words. _"My only words to those with crappy weapons is... you better avoid those who have a gun!"_

Why would anyone try and avoid you, you wonder. You having the gun doesn't make you an instant threat. You're practically harmless, someone that spoke with a soft voice and had trouble looking people in the eyes, as evidenced with the hat that shadowed your face every day. Kaede or Kaito would have to be the ones to slap some confidence in you, but as of recently, you've been trying to instill some confidence by yourself. And you would've continued, if only you and the others weren't pitched in this game.

At your own thoughts, you quickly shake your head. Now's not the time to think about the "what if's". Now you have to think about staying alive, hopefully long enough to meet up with someone, someone you can trust to stand with.

Taking in a deep breath, you quickly stuff everything back in your bag, save for your gun, which you clench tightly in your hand. You throw your bag over your shoulder before you start to walk, quickly but quietly. You don't want to try and attract unnecessary attention to yourself, especially so soon in this game. 

You have two goals in mind - avoid trouble and find someone, hopefully Kaito, Maki, or Kaede. 

And to stay alive, at least for now.

\- - - - - - - -

Your name is Tenko Chabashira, and you have a duty. 

The second you left the building, duffel bag and brass knuckles in hand, you had eyes for one person. Not to kill them, but rather, to protect them. Your best friend, Himiko Yumeno. 

She doesn’t deserve to be pitched in this kind of hell. N one does, but of all of your classmates, Himiko is the one that deserves it the least. She’s too pure to die a violent death, at least that’s what you think. Himiko hasn’t paid much attention to you, but you can see it in her eyes: she still cares about you.

You managed to track her down fairly quickly after leaving (she was hiding behind some shrubs) and you’ve stuck by her side ever since. Himiko told you that she could manage, thanks to her “magic”, but you insisted. She’s too small, you told her. At your answer, she simply shrugged her shoulders and let you accompany her. 

As you step over another large shrub, you glance behind you to see Himiko following behind, albeit a bit slowly. For her weapon, Himiko landed herself a poisoned pair of daggers. Not bad.

After a bit, you come to a stop, to Himiko’s confusion as she bumps into you.

“N-Nyeh? Why have we stopped?,” she asks sleepily.

You’re silent for a second as you peer ahead of you. There's something dark ahead, behind the trees. You take another step closer, and it's a shack. A bit run-down and small, but it's shelter. And best of all, it looks like no one's inside. Your gasp in surprise as you take a step towards it, but quickly turn around to the smaller girl behind you.

"This way, Himiko."

Himiko follows after you quietly, as you gently approach the shelter, still careful in the slim chance someone was inside. You scan all around it until you officially conclude, no one's inside. 

You step through the door, and the inside of the shack is just as small as the outside. Two large wooden shelves stand at both the left and right side, leaving only a small gap in between them, covered in dust and dirt. On top of the shelves, what looks like a surfboard case, gun cases, and other useless objects sit, equally dirty like the wooden shelves they stand on.

You scan the inside of the house while Himiko stands in a corner, and you spot a window to the left partially hidden behind the shelf. You can check through the window somewhat, but when you do, you spot a pair of figures in the distance, shadowed by the shade of the trees outside. 

You duck down quickly, hoping that they didn't see you or Himiko. You stay still as you slowly peek out the window again, and the silhouettes haven't moved. Looks like they're talking. You can't see who the two silhouettes are, but it could be trouble, if they saw the shack, too.

“Stay here, Himiko,” you say, seriousness in your tone. “There’s something up ahead, I’m just going to check it out. In the meantime, just stay safe, okay?”

"Nyeh." Himiko nods lazily, and with that, you take off towards the silhouettes, crouching just as you’re close enough to see. Himiko should be just fine with this, right? This quick scout should only take a few seconds, at the most a couple of minutes.

She’ll be just fine, you keep telling yourself as your eyes follow the silhouettes cautiously. Nothing bad's going to happen to her.

\- - - - - - - - - -

Your name is Suzume Nakajima, and you’ve never been so nervous in your entire life.

The second you sprinted out of the room, you told yourself you wouldn’t kill another one of your classmates, not in a million years. You’re not that kind of person. You come across as brash and fearless, sure, but everyone has skeletons in their closet. 

But you don’t let your classmates know that. You’re Suzume Nakajima, the most adventurous girl in the class. You’re willing to try anything to get an adrenaline rush, anything that’ll guarantee you a good time. 

But this… you can’t deny your fear here. Especially after you almost got a knife to the head.

You can feel your breathes go choppy as you come to a halt next a tree, one hand placed onto it for balance. Your red-brown bangs hang messily beside the corners of your face, and you swear you can feel your ponytail go lose for a second.

When it came to the weapon roulette, you fared okay. You got a rock-climbing pick ax, something you’re very familiar with. But given the situation, you don’t think you’ll be using it for scaling cliffs.

In one hand, you clutch the ax, and in the other, you hold your duffel bag. Your eyes start to go all around you in a pathetic, panicked attempt at scouting. When you glance to the right, you almost miss spotting something pointed and dark. You peer closer, and it's a shack. One part of you questions why that would even be here on this island, as it looks so out-of-place. But another part of you wants to check it out, since maybe it has something useful inside, aside from providing a hiding place. 

As quietly as you can, you walk towards the shack, spotting a hole in one of the walls, covered slight by a shrub, to which you sneak inside. Once inside, from where you're looking, it's empty, save for the large wooden shelves and the dirt-caked objects sitting atop them. You step into a corner, managing to barely spare a glance through a window to the right, covered by an object atop the shelf. From your spot, it doesn't look like you can see anyone. Even it that's the case, you can practically feel the fear eating away at you, like a pack of wolves devouring a deer like they hadn’t eaten for months. Tears start to form in the corner of your eyes as your hands press against the side of your head, along with your pickax. _Is this the feeling of madness?_ , you ask yourself internally. It has to be, right? Why else are you on the verge of crying, panicking for your life you thought you'd have for quite a long time?

Amidst your fear, you hear a sleepy voice behind you.

“...Suzume…?”

Everything's a blur in your sight as you let out a panic-filled shriek, turning and swinging your pickax behind you. Someone's here?!

You shut your eyes, and you hear your pickax land into something, which lets out a squelchy noise.

For a moment, everything's quiet. But a wet cough breaks that silence.

You open your eyes, and to your horror, dark red has started to speckle your face and uniform.

**(Girl # 2: Himiko Yumeno - DEAD)**

In front of you is Himiko Yumeno, her face a mix of horror and unsuspecting as dark red practically floods from a gaping hole in the center of her chest and the edges of her mouth. Also in her chest is your ax, the jagged edge stained the same horrific color. You gasp in sheer terror as you take a step back, while Himiko only glances down at the weapon embedded in her heart, and then glances at you.

“Suzume…,” you barely hear her whisper. “...W-Why…?”

With that last whisper, she crumples to the floor, to which you run to her side the second she hits the ground. You scan her in your panic, your eyes falling on your ax. Acting solely on your fear, your hands grasp the axe, and you pull back, but it doesn't budge, with Himiko whimpering in pain as you pull. You let your grip on the ax fall as you glance over Himiko, tears creeping from your eyes.

There’s no way in hell you can accept this. You told yourself you wouldn’t kill someone the second you left the classroom. But here you are, speckled in one of your classmate’s blood and watching as the red-haired girl twitches on the ground, her hands clutching your ax desperately. Her eyes are wide like saucers, and your mouth hangs agape in horror. 

“H-Himiko, I…..I-I…,” you stammer, before you press your blood-soaked hands against your face as an icy feeling spills down your cheeks. 

“I’m so sorry, Himiko! I-I didn’t mean for this to happen, I just…I-I…!” You can’t even continue as you break down into a sob. It was an unfortunate accident that Himiko happened to be in the shack with you, something you didn't notice, and you happened to get spooked by her. Because you couldn't win your inner fight with your own fear. Your fear won, and Himiko payed the price for it.

But you feel something tug on your uniform skirt amidst your horror, and when your hands move from your blood-spattered face, it’s Himiko’s hand, gripping the edge. Your eyes then go to her, and her eyes - oh, god. Her eyes are ridden with pain, but her gaze - it’s not full of hate or anything of the sort.

Her eyes are gentle, almost soft.

A tiny weak smile spreads across her face as she glances up at you. “Nyeh...I-It’s...okay, Suzume. I w-wasn’t going to survive long, a-anyway…” She lets out a breathless cough, her mouth seeping more blood. “I-I just wish...I could have one more...m-magic show… b-before I...g…”

Himiko’s words slowly fade into nothingness as her eyes go dull before you, and her grip on your skirt goes limp. Silence fills the air now, save for your choked sobs. _No._

You can only stagger backwards as you stare over the now unmoving body of Himiko Yumeno. 

You just killed someone. Your name is Suzume Nakajima, and you drew first blood.

Those words echo in your ears like a banshee’s scream. Horror blindly takes over you as you slump down on your knees, your hands pressed against your ears. You can’t even think clearly, you can’t speak, you can’t seem to do anything. You grit your teeth tightly and press harder, in an attempt to stop those horrid words from continuing. But no matter how hard you press, the words do anything but go away.

But soon, you hear something else, an all-too familiar voice.

“Himikoooo!”

You instantly stand up, panic flooding your senses. Not Tenko. She doesn’t need to see this, see what you’ve done to her best friend. Grabbing the pickax with both hands, you yank back, and the ax tears out of Himiko's chest. With and your duffel bag in the other, you turn around, away from Himiko. But by the time you take a step away, Tenko’s voice calls out again, this time much louder and even a bit desperate.

You can't run out the door, you note. That's the first place Tenko would enter, and if you went out the door, you'll run into Tenko, no doubt. You try and run for a window, hidden behind one of the wooden shelves. You try and move it, but it's too big. You try and push it again, only to lose balance and fall flat on your face. Your fear is getting the better of you again, you curse silently as you push yourself up off the ground.

But when you get on one knee, you hear footsteps running closer. You scramble to stand up, as you run for the door (you don't have a choice anymore). You can't stall anymore, you can't let fear get the better of you anymore, you can't-

But when you reach the door, you skid to a halt as Tenko Chabashira runs in front of you.

\- - - - - - - - 

Your name is Tenko Chabashira, and your eyes have fallen upon quite the sight.

Before you is a blood-spattered Suzume, her eyes wide like a deer in the headlights. In her hand, she's clutching a blood-soaked pickax.

And right beside her is a heap of blood, and a single thought enters your mind.

“HIMIKO!!”

You scream out as you shove past Suzume and run to your friend’s side, but it’s too late. Her eyes are lifeless and empty, and you quickly spot a gaping hole in the center of her chest. 

You were too late to save her. Your duty was to keep your best friend safe no matter what the cost. 

You failed her.

For a second, you feel nothing, empty.

But the next, you feel something burning in your chest as your gaze goes viciously to Suzume.

“You! You killed her, Suzume?!,” you demand, to which Suzume instantly takes a step back.

“N-No! I-I mean...it was an accident! I didn’t mean to, I swear!”

The burning feeling in your body only increases at her words. “So you did kill her! You, of all people, Suzume?! I trusted you!” 

“Tenko,..I…I-I....!,” is all she can stammer out. But you...you aren’t having any of that. Suzume Nakajima took the life of your best friend, and she has to pay. This girl isn’t a friend of yours. Not any longer.

“Suzume...you...you...” you start, tightly clenching your fists at your sides.

“You _biiiiitch_!!” 

Ablaze with anger, you lunge at Suzume, one arm drawn back in a punch. But Suzume’s quick - she’s sidesteps out of the way, only to stumble and fall on her rear beside the door. You turn your foot, and throw a punch at her. You just barely nick her cheek, but a sharp pain suddenly tears across your nose. Your hands immediately press against your face, and from one eye, you barely see Suzume with her ax in hand, the blade dripping with fresh blood. 

And in a second, she’s turned tail.

Despite the stinging pain in your face, you let your hands fall to your side. You don’t let your eyes off of the fleeing Suzume as you scream at her, fists clenched at your side. You can feel your body shaking with rage.

“I’ll never forgive you, you hear me?! I’ll hunt you down for as long as it takes! And when I get ahold of you, I’ll gut you like an animal, you degenerate bitch!!”

Suzume doesn’t even turn around - all you see is her running away, ponytail bouncing on her back with each sprint.

“You better run,” you mutter to yourself before you glance over at Himiko. You kneel beside her before you slowly close her eyes. Just looking at her, you can’t hold back a wince. This was your best friend, someone who was so insistent on her tricks being real magic and someone who was eternally sleepy. But she was your best friend, and you failed her. A pang of sadness hits you, along with a strong stab of guilt.

“I’m so sorry, Himiko. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it back in time to save you.”

After holding in your breath for a second (holding back tears), you slowly rise up, throwing your duffel bag over your shoulder and your fingers grasping ahold of the brass knuckles in each hand. You take a step towards where Suzume had run off to, then another, and your walk slowly evolves into a sprint. You clench your teeth as your eyes dart around for any sight of Suzume, feeling a bit of pain as your teeth tear into your lip.

You may have failed in one duty, but now you have a new one.

To get revenge for Himiko.

And to make Suzume Nakajima pay for what she’s done, no matter what the cost.

\- - - - - - - -

(Chapter 3: END)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 3! This one was a bit tricky to write (writing in-character was a bit of a challenge), but I like how it turned out, this chapter (even though Suzume sunk Tenko x Himiko, RIP).


End file.
